


A Day Out With Mr Jack

by Irisunohimitsu



Series: The Long Life of Loki Leifson [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Cute Kids, Gen, Hostage Situations, Implied Violence, Kidnapping, Loki Does What He Wants, Loki Needs a Hug, Loki is secretly a softy, Minor Violence, Threats, Threats of Violence, except when he's not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 09:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7839367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irisunohimitsu/pseuds/Irisunohimitsu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“You’ve been active in the mercenary scene for, so far as we can tell, the last 15 years or so. We have on file a huge number of cases you are suspected of involvement in – political and personal assassinations and… seductions? Then there's bank robberies, jewel thefts, organised crime, bodyguard to some really quite nasty types, kidnappings – it’s quite a rap-sheet.” Coulson paused and looked up, a note of amusement in his expression. “You know Sheikh Eisa’s daughter still regularly asks when she can go play at ‘Mr Jack’s’ house again?” </i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Loki Leifson is a widely feared, highly skilled mercenary known to all but himself as Jack Frost. His most recent employers are paying him to abduct the beloved daughter of the wealthy Sheikh Eisa and demand a ransom for her safe return. Little Jaydra has no idea she's been kidnapped. So far as she's concerned she's spending the day with 'Mr Jack' whilst her Daddy is at work, and having a whale of a time!</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Day Out With Mr Jack

**Author's Note:**

> Jack Frost, AKA Loki Leifson is an AU Loki I have created for my multi-chapter Jack Frost. You're welcome to read this story without reading that first, but you'll be missing a fair bit of context. 
> 
> For those who can't be bothered to read 25000 words before they get to this one-shot; Loki has been raised on Earth, not Asgard and is now a jaded, thousand year old mercenary who goes by the name of Jack Frost. He's a pretty dark guy, but he does have limits, including a strong reluctance to harm innocents without very good reason. This does not always work out well for his employers.

The sun beat down on the countless rooftops, it’s heated glare reflecting from countless glass windows to scatter shadows and patches of light across the ground far below. Loki Leifson, known to all save himself as Jack Frost crouched in the scant shadow of a rooftop air-conditioning vent, cursing the oppressive heat and the task that kept him trapped there, observing.

In the building opposite him, a very wealthy man and his daughter were going about their daily routine, and Loki was learning. The building’s security was excellent. The windows were reinforced, the doors to the apartment and each balcony were fastened with state-of-the-art locks, and a security guard stood ever-alert at the front door. Nigh impenetrable, for your everyday mercenary.

Loki, however, would never be an everyday-anything, a fact he had cursed and blessed in equal measure throughout his long life. As the sun sank below the horizon and coolness finally descended over the desert city, Eisa put his daughter to bed, reading her stories and kissing her brow as he turned out the light. He doted on the child, was utterly devoted to her happiness after the painful loss of her mother barely a year before. He would give absolutely anything to ensure her safety – a fact Jack Frost’s employers were counting on.

Loki waited now, sat motionless for hours until the windows of Eisa’s bedroom also darkened. He waited longer, to be certain Eisa was truly asleep, before he finally stood and jumped from the building. A burst of magic cushioned his landing and he walked calmly across the street, entering Eisa’s building and climbing the long staircase to his floor. Another spell ensured the security guard noticed no hint of Loki’s incursion. The expensive locks, though impressive, were not secured against magic. How could they be when precious few even knew of its existence anymore. The door swung open unnoticed. Loki crept through the apartment into the girl’s bedroom. Jaydra, his employer said. Nearly six years old and utterly spoilt. A sweet child though, with a kind heart, said the maid, who Loki had flirted with at the supermarket when she went to buy food for the apartment.

Jaydra’s room was dark, a nightlight setting a smooth glow over her dusky skin as Loki loomed over her. He brushed gentle fingers over her eyelids to ensure she would not wake, then gathered the softly breathing body in his arms. In her place he left a note written by his employers, then carried his burden back out the way he had come.

* * *

When Jaydra woke, she knew straight away that she was somewhere strange. This was not unusual. Daddy worked a lot, and sometimes Jaydra had to stay at a neighbour's place whilst he was out. She sat up in bed and looked around her. The room she was in was big, but very dull. Unlike her own bedroom, there were no toys and no pictures on the walls. Everything, from the wallpaper to the bedding she sat in was a boring shade of cream.

On a wooden chair at the side of the bed sat a pale man, watching her with dark brown eyes. Jaydra didn’t recognise him, but smiled back when he grinned at her anyway.

“Good morning Jaydra,” He greeted her in her own language, “I hope you’re not too alarmed, waking up somewhere new. Your father had a very important meeting, so he asked me to look after you for a little while.”

“OK.” Jaydra rubbed her eyes sleepily. “Who are you?”

“A friend of your father’s.” the man hedged, “My name is Jack Frost, but you can call me Jack.”

“OK Mr Jack,” pushing back the covers Jaydra sat up properly. “What’s for breakfast?”

The question appeared to throw the man for a moment. “I will go check.” He said smoothly, adding when Jaydra went to follow him, “you will have to stay here little one. I have some friends also staying in my house, and they are very scared of little girls. I think if they saw you it would worry them quite a lot.”

“Like how elephants are scared of mice, even though they’re tiny?” Jaydra asked, and the man chuckled.

“Yes Jaydra, exactly like that.” He closed the door behind him with a rattle that sounded sort of like a lock. Before long he was back with a plate of toast, a glass of juice and a set of interesting looking scissors.

He put the scissors on a side table and waited patiently whilst Jaydra ate her toast. Whilst she was savouring the sweetness of the orange juice, he leaned back in his chair and sipped something out of a steaming mug that Jaydra was sure hadn’t been there before.

“You have lovely hair, little Jaydra.” He announced, as though he had only just noticed. “It’s ever so long.”

Jaydra grinned. Everyone always loved her long hair. “I can sit on it when I wear it down, look!” She pulled the scrunchie out of her hair and tugged out her braid, flipping her hair under her behind and sitting back down.

Mr Jack looked very impressed.

“Doesn’t it ever get annoying?” He asked, “getting in the way and things?”

“All the time!” Jaydra cried. “Last week it got shut in the car door and I didn’t even notice!”

“That does sound frustrating.” He nodded sagely. “Do you ever think about getting it cut?”

“Sometimes,” Jaydra confessed, “But Daddy likes it long. He says I look pretty.”

“Well,” Mr Jack looked at Jaydra carefully, and she put on her prettiest smile. “He is right, you are a pretty thing, but I think you’d look even prettier, maybe even beautiful with shorter hair.” He paused at the end of his speech, then nodded to himself decisively. “You know,” he added, “I’ve been thinking about getting a bit of a haircut myself.” He tugged at the ends of his white-blonde hair, “I think it’s getting a bit shaggy.”

Jaydra giggled, “Shaggy like a dog?” She asked cheekily, getting up to pet the man’s hair like he was a puppy. “It’s a pretty colour though. All Daddy’s other friends have black hair like me.”

“Yes, I am a little different from Daddy’s other friends.” The man agreed with a wry chuckle, shaking his head so his hair stuck out in all directions. “What do you think? If I let you help me cut my hair so I look a bit less messy, will you let me give you a cool new do?”

Cut each other’s hair? Daddy would be horrified, but Mr Jack seemed quite enthusiastic about the idea of letting Jaydra cut his hair. She laughed delightedly, “Yes please! Can I do you first, pleeease?”

Mr Jack grinned back at her. “I don’t think so my dear. You haven’t cut anyone’s hair before, I assume?”

Jaydra shook her head.

“Well, I have done it several times, so why don’t I do yours first so you know how it’s done, then you can have a go.”

She thought about his suggestion. It did make sense, since she had no idea how to cut hair and Mr Jack seemed like he knew exactly what he was doing. Agreeing, she sat herself down in the chair he indicated, bouncing with excitement until he stopped her, pointing out that if she was moving too much her haircut would be all choppy.

“Do you want to look like a shaggy dog too?” He asked, with a touch of irritation.

“Noooo,” Jaydra whined, forcing herself to sit still.

Mr Jack brushed through her hair gently, then selected a pair of scissors from the set on the table.

“I shall need a countdown, Jaydra, for this momentous occasion!” He declared grandly. “From 5, if you please.” He counted along with her so she could follow him if she forgot the next number. “5…4…3…2…1, snip!”

The silver scissors flashed and a lock of Jaydra’s hair fell to the carpet. It sat there, looking like a tiny black snake and was soon joined by another, and another! More and more of Jaydra’s long, beautiful, annoying hair fell to the floor and formed a fuzzy carpet all around her. She giggled again and tried not to start bouncing with excitement again. When Mr Jack finally said he was done, she shot out of the chair and bounded over to a mirror, jumping up to see her whole face and laughing at the way her new shorter hair bounced up and down as she did.

“What do you think, Miss Jaydra?” Mr Jack asked from the floor where he was gathering up her hair.

“It feels really soft!” Jaydra announced, digging her fingers into her chin-length hair. “What are you doing?”

“I thought your Daddy might like to keep the hair we cut off. Apparently some people are sentimental like that,” Mr Jack exclaimed, though he didn’t look like he really understood it. “If you will wait just a moment I will go put it in an envelope to save for him.”

“But what about your turn!” Jaydra asked, face falling with dismay. Was he going to change his mind now he’d finished with her hair?

Mr Jack laughed at her crestfallen expression. “Don’t panic, child. I will put this away safely and then you will get your turn playing hairdresser. Why don’t you choose your scissors whilst I am gone.”

The door rattled behind him, and Jaydra turned to the set of scissors, eventually choosing a pair with bright blue handles.

Mr Jack took ages coming back, and Jaydra took the opportunity to bounce on the bed whilst he couldn’t tell her off for it. Her new bob flopped up and down again whilst she jumped, and by the time Mr Jack came back she was in fits of giggles, shaking her head wildly to watch her hair fly out to the side in the mirror.

“You know my dear, that new look really suits you!” He cried with exaggerated delight. “Whoever cut it for you, they much be incredibly skilful.”

“You did!” Jaydra laughed, poking him in the stomach.

“Oh so I did. My aren’t I clever,” the man preened, so Jaydra laughed again. “Now, for my turn why don’t I sit on the floor and you can have the chair so you can reach. Which scissors did you choose?”

Jaydra showed him and he nodded in approval. “An excellent choice.” He sat himself down on the floor and waited patiently.

Nervously, Jaydra fingered a lock of his strangely-coloured hair and combed it out to full length, putting the scissors about halfway down and snipping cautiously. 10 centimetres of white-blonde hair dropped to the floor, blending in with the carpet. A nervous chuckle burst from Jaydra’s chest as she gathered another lock of hair, cutting it to nearly the same length as the first.

Finally, she was done, and Mr Jack stood back to his full height, shaking the stray strands away from his shoulders and running his fingers through his shorter hair. The raggedly cut ends seemed to neaten themselves as if by magic when he looked in the mirror.

“What do you think?” He asked, “Am I as pretty as you?” Jaydra shook her head with a cheeky smirk and he gasped in pretend outrage.

“Well I never, what a rude child you are. I may just cry.”

“No you won’t” Jaydra shouted back at him excitedly, throwing her arms around his middle before she remembered something else she needed to do and dropped to her knees to scrape all of Mr Jack’s hair together.

“What are you doing child,” he asked in confusion.

“I need to collect your hair too, so you can give it to your Daddy!” She exclaimed as if it was obvious. “Or your Mummy, maybe.” The man’s face fell and he looked sad for a moment.

“I have not had a Daddy or a Mummy in a long time, so there’s really no need.” He said quietly, sitting down heavily on the bed. Jaydra stopped what she was doing and climbed into his lap to hug him again.

“That’s alright.” She said kindly. “I don’t have a Mummy anymore, but Daddy says so long as we remember her a little bit of her will still be around to love me.”

Mr Jack’s hand settled on her head, smoothing over her silky hair. “You are a very sweet child, little Jaydra. Your Father is lucky to have you.”

He sounded sad still though, so Jaydra thought hard about how she could cheer him up.

“I know!” She cried suddenly, “Mr Jack, can I show you my dancing I’m learning? Daddy says I’m really good.”

She showed him her plies, taught him how to do a step-full-change and even attempted a pirouette, spinning wildly around the room until she landed heavily on her bottom. Mr Jack picked her up with a small smile, and Jaydra was glad to see he looked a little less sad now.

To Jaydra’s delight, she got to spend the whole day with Mr Jack because he didn’t have to go to work. Well, he said he was already at work, but that was just silly because he was there with her which couldn’t be his job because they weren’t at an office. Mr Jack laughed when she told him that, and agreed that it didn’t much feel like he was at work after all.

They had just finished their lunch and were sharing a special chocolate bar Mr Jack had brought from another country when Mr Jack’s friends burst through the door. One of them was holding a big, scary looking knife and he looked at Jaydra with narrowed eyes whilst his friend said something to Mr Jack in a language she didn’t understand.

Immediately, Mr Jack was on his feet in-between Jaydra and his friends. He didn’t seem very happy to see them even though they were his friends, and snarled at them in the same strange language. Peering around him, Jaydra decided the new people didn’t look very friendly, so she growled at them too to try to scare them away. The men didn’t seem too bothered by it though, which confused her. Maybe they weren’t scared of little girls after all.

They continued to snap at each other, the tone of their voices getting crosser and crosser. Suddenly Mr Jack grabbed her and bundled her outside the room, sliding a lock closed on the door behind them.

“Jaydra,” he said calmly, “My friends have just suggested that we play hide-and-seek. Because you’re the youngest we thought we’d give you a quick head-start. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” He still looked calm, but his voice rose slightly towards the end as one of his friends hammered on the door behind them. Jaydra nodded uncertainly. “If you hide really, really well I’ll take you out for an ice-cream before I take you home,” he promised, and suddenly Jaydra was much more excited about the idea.

“I’m going to hide so well you’ll never find me!” She announced, skipping off along the corridor.

“Make sure you stay inside the house,” Mr Jack called back, “Otherwise it’s cheating. And don’t come out until I find you or it won’t count!”

“OK!” Jaydra promised, running round the corner as she heard Mr Jack begin to count.

* * *

 “Things are taking too long.” The ringleader announced as he stormed through the door. “The hair didn’t do the trick, we told him it would be her ears next if he was too slow and he still hasn’t paid up. Time to encourage him.”

“You and your ilk are not getting anywhere near her,” Loki snarled, surging to his feet. “She is an innocent child, there is no need to mutilate her over something so petty as money.”

“I think you’re forgetting, Frost, that you work for me,” the man with the knife growled. “I pay you, I make the rules. Now hand her over.”

“As you recall, a condition of my employment was that the child should not be harmed. So no.”

“Hand her over now, or we’ll add your ears to the package, too.”

Fuming, Loki grabbed Jaydra roughly, ignoring her startled yelp as he swept her out the room. He hated it when he had to turn on an employer, it put a damper on his work for months afterwards until someone got desperate enough for his services to risk being double crossed, or arrogant enough to believe he wouldn’t dare. Still, even as a man-for-hire he had some lines he would not cross, and this was one of them.

As Jaydra skipped away Loki sent a twist of magic chasing after her to ensure she could not be found by anyone other than him. His insides roiled with disgust at the thought of what his colleagues had intended to do to her.

Turning sharply, he re-entered the room and sealed the doors behind him. Ten minutes of screaming and sudden silence later, he emerged with a small wooden box, the lid secured with a padlock. The room behind him was empty, but the once cream furnishings were splashed with vibrant red.

* * *

By the following morning, the box had found its way to Eisa’s kitchen table. Eisa walked sleepily into the kitchen after a miserable few hours of trying to sleep, and immediately froze with terror. Staring at the small box, the last threat they had made ricocheted around his brain. He had tried to get the money together, tried _so_ hard, but there was simply no way of gathering such a large sum of cash so quickly without alerting the authorities – and the penalty for their involvement would be his daughter’s life.

He had already wept when an envelope had dropped onto his doormat at 9am the previous morning with the ransom demand, opening to spill out severed locks of her lovely long hair. And now this. His beautiful girl, her tiny, perfect ears… he knew he shouldn’t look, knew it would tear his heart in two to see evidence of his precious daughter’s suffering, but he could not help himself.

On top of the box was a note, written in an elegant hand on a thick, stiff card. Eisa had to read it at least three times before the words took on any meaning in his head, such was the fear he felt for his child. As the note’s contents finally took shape in his mind though, he felt the first spark of hope catch light in his chest.

‘I do not take kindly to men who threaten innocent children with mutilation. Jaydra is back in her bedroom asleep with no idea she was abducted. She is entirely unharmed and very happy with her new haircut.’

Taking the key attached to the note, Eisa fumbled to open the box. The key turned smoothly in the padlock, releasing the lock with a click. Eisa lifted the lid, and recoiled in horror. Ears. Oh his girl, his darling girl! Tears ran down his cheeks, but remembering the note that promised his child was unharmed he steeled himself to look again.

The box did indeed contain severed ears, blood still bright, barely congealed. They were too large to belong to a child though, and instead of two gruesome trophies, there were four. The kidnappers. Someone had apparently exacted retribution on them for their attempts to harm little Jaydra. Dropping the box back onto the table, Eisa cried his thanks to the heavens and almost flew to the door of his daughter’s room.

Outside the door he paused, dreading the possibility that he might open the door to find her bed still empty. Still, he forced himself to do it, and there she was. He reached out a hand to brush strands of her shortened hair away from her forehead, pushing it to splash around her head on the pillow in a dark mass of silk.

She opened her eyes, blinked sleepily up at him, and smiled.

“Good morning Daddy.”

“Good morning my little princess,” he replied, then hesitated. The note had said she had no idea she was kidnapped, but how was that possible? “What did you do yesterday then, my darling?” He asked cautiously.

“Oh, I went to play at Mr Jack’s house whilst you were busy.” Jaydra replied cheerfully.

“Mr Jack?” Eisa asked curiously.

“Yeah you know, Jack Frost!” Jaydra said as though reminding him. Eisa forced himself not to cry out in horror. Any man as wealthy as him had heard the rumours, the warnings about the ruthless mercenary Jack Frost. An acquaintance of Eisa’s had finally been released from hospital the week before, nearly a month after spending time at the scant mercy of Frost.

“What did you do?” He asked, trying desperately to keep the fear out of his voice.

“Well, first he got me breakfast, then we cut each other’s hair and he gave me this cool bouncy new hair,” she shook her head to show Eisa how it flew out in all directions, and he forced himself to smile and compliment her. “and then we played with knives,” Jaydra continued, “and made sandwiches.”

“You played with knives?” Eisa asked, aghast, and Jaydra chattered on.

“Yeah, Mr Jack can throw them so good he hits a teeny tiny dot on the wall, but he only let me try eight times before he took them away cos he thought I might chop my fingers or my nose off. Then we had chocolate and my new favourite food is Aero Chocolate, but Mr Jack says they only have it in the UK like proper tea and red busses. He had some friends and he said I shouldn’t talk to them cos they were scared of little girls, but turned out they weren’t so we played hide-and-seek for a little while. I hid the best so Mr Jack bought me an ice-cream before we came home, then put me to bed. He even told me a story and kissed me goodnight just like you do Daddy. Can he come play again soon Daddy? I want to show him my dancing again, and my tutu. He said I was ‘an egg-sep-shun-y graceful dancer,’ which means really good he said.” Her voice dipped lower to imitate him, and Eisa thought he might faint. “Please?” She added on the end, her voice slipping into a whine.

“We’ll see.” Eisa heard himself promise, still reeling with relief that his daughter had survived. Jack Frost, it appeared, was not so evil as the legends said. Oh he was no good man. The kindness he had shown Jaydra had been nowhere to be seen when he had tortured Eisa’s acquaintance into a gibbering mess. Even the brutal nature in which he had protected the child showed that he was not afraid to cause great harm to his fellow human beings. He wondered what had become of the rest of Eisa’s kidnappers, the parts that weren’t severed, and festering in a wooden box in his kitchen… Once more overcome with relief, he gathered his precious child into his arms and buried his face in her hair to hide his tears.

Eisa was an astute man, and knew that to tell others about Jack Frost’s mercy would only earn him a visit from the man himself, one where he would not be shown the same secret kindness his child was. No, he would take she secret of the mercenary’s compassion to the grave.

* * *

 

From the same rooftop as before, concealed in the same shadows, Loki watched. He had not been able to resist pushing the Jaydra’s hair away from her forehead as he tucked her into bed and brushing a kiss across her brow, just as he had seen her Father do. His face remained impassive, but inside a part of him warmed at the memory of how the girl had hung onto his hand as they strode through the streets, her gleeful face when the huge ice-cream sundae had appeared in front of her and the hug she had given him in thanks.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of the hair she had cut for him, the hair she had attempted to gather together to give to his father. Opening his fist, he let the hair drift into the wind. He thought about how he had protected her, how even in his dark line of work he could still sometimes do something good, and allowed himself to imagine just for a second, that his father might be proud.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've enjoyed this, and haven't already done so, head over to my multi-chapter 'Jack Frost' for more of mercenary Loki: This time with SHIELD!


End file.
